A few days ago in church, a man spoke about adversity. Adversity, sooner or later, comes to all of us. No one, whatever his education, social status, intelligence, or spiritual maturity, is immune from it. We don't have a choice whether or not we face adversity, the man reminded us. We do have a choice, though, in how we handle it.
I am the first to admit that I don't handle it well. When a member of my family is sick, or hurting, or in trouble, I tremble with fear. Mostly because I know that I don't have the ability to help. I can be there physically, I can offer temporal help, I can pray, but I can't remove the adversity my loved one faces.
Sometimes I rant and rail at fate, even, I'm ashamed to admit, at God, for allowing bad things to happen to good people. It is not an uncommon reaction, and I try to take solace that I'm not alone. But that is scant comfort when I realize how powerless I am.
The speaker's final remark gave me pause. "The next time you're faced with adversity, do something for someone else." The counsel is not original with the speaker, but is profound nonetheless.
This I know for sure: adversity comes to all of us. Finding strength through service is one of the best ways to get through it.
We all want a break from adversity. Sometimes, that's the only way to get that break.
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